Chris Beath Prepares Local Referees for 2018

On Sunday 4 February over half of the states referees attended the annual referee seminar at Thebarton Community Centre.

The sessions are designed to best prepare local referees for the senior and junior seasons and give local referees a chance to network with each other and meet and welcome the newly recruited match officials.

The seminar also provided an opportunity to recognise the two highest award winners presented at last years Celebration of Football in Nick Elagin – Young Referee of the Year and Daniel Elder – Referee of the Year for a third consecutive season.

Football Federation Australia’s (FFA) Chris Beath, fresh of his Hyundai A-League performance the night before, kicked the day off speaking about his journey, the preparation he undertakes as a professional referee and how it relates to community officiating.

Chris also provided an insight in to his recent appointments at the AFC U23 Championships in China where he officiated several games in near freezing temperatures.

Chris’ enthusiasm was quickly picked up by the group and started the day off on a high note.Chris provided all referees with an opportunity to ask questions about his experiences which was well received.

 

National Premier League SA and Hyundai A-League referee Daniel Elder was next up talking about the expectations FFA are looking for in their competitions and how we can implement these on the local stage. The key focus areas of increasing effective playing time by limiting stoppages and excessive delaying tactics along with protecting player safety will have a large bearing on the officiating throughout 2018.

Lastly Nathan Magill presented on current consideration for referees along with a video analysis session aimed at collaborating the interpretation of all referees on varying incidents that may arise during play.

 

In speaking to local referees after the seminar Under 18’s referee Torin Cooper mentioned that

“It was excellent to have the opportunity to catch up with fellow referees and listen to experienced professionals at the seminar. Having professional referees from the Hyundai A-League as well as national coaches sharing their knowledge and experiences helped me and many others across all ages, to learn and develop my own refereeing skills. Having the opportunity to discuss refereeing decisions within teams of fellow referees facilitated interesting conversations, and also helped to develop greater consistency across FFSA referees”

While Westfield W-League official Isabella Blaess was excited to hear from professional referee Chris Beath

“The FFSA yet again hosted a high quality seminar for all referees in the state. Having the opportunity to hear from one of Australia's professional referee's in Chris Beath was an amazing experience for all. He provided great advice on what it takes to advance to the elite stage and shared valuable experience to us all.”

In closing the day State Referee Development Manager, Daniel Goodwin thanked all for their attendance along with acknowledging the hard work and dedication over the past seven years by the three departing Referee Committee members in Craig Zetter, Airlie Keen and Nathan Magill along with reassuring the group that Football Federation SA is working quickly to find suitable replacements to continue the outstanding work of the trio.